2.03 Ecosystems and Energy

Whew! The climb up this mountain is really tiring me out quickly! Let's take a break, rest up a bit, and have a snack.

Ohhhh ... good! I remembered to pack my banana and it didn't get crushed in my pack. That's a bonus. Hey ... that looks good! Who packed your snack box? Want to trade?

In this activity you will: recall that the sun is the primary energy source of all living things. trace and learn the path of energy and matter in an ecosystem. describe how energy is transferred through the biotic and abiotic parts of the biosphere. learn that the total amount of energy decreases as it travels through a community.

Snack Time!

When you eat a banana you are consuming the carbon, nitrogen, and other important elements that the banana tree has stored in its tasty fruit. And, lucky for us hiking heterotrophs, the banana has energy stored in it too. The stored energy in the banana is what we call chemical energy, and it came from the sun's energy that was trapped during photosynthesis. As you know, photosynthesis enables autotrophs to become producers of chemical energy for energy-hungry heterotrophs to consume. I'll trade my banana for your trail mix!

When you think about it, we are all "solar powered." Especially, when your name is Sunny. Hee... Hee... Hee!

Click on your BioVenture tab to continue the Extreme Eco Challenge.